Monday, August 2, 2010

Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)

So Becky and I spent this past weekend visiting with my family and friends in Central Florida. What a great time, visiting with most of my immediate family as well as just relaxing and enjoying ourselves. Last week was my dad's 60th birthday (yes, he was really old when he and mom had me), so we celebrated as a family Saturday night.

You see, I come from a fairly small family. All told we had 14 people celebrating my dads birthday - 2 grandmas, my parents, my sister and her husband, my uncle and his wife, my other aunt, my cousin and her husband, my other cousin, and my wife and I. We had so much fun, watching dad open his presents, reminiscing and catching up, and eating.

Actually eating was a big part of this mini vacation. For dad's party we had Sonnys BBQ, along with a few additional add-ons from the fam. Becky and I each had 4 Slurpees from 7-11 - I love those things. We also had some Publix subs for lunch when we were at the beach. And Grandma Leah had to make her marvelous homemade chicken and dumplings. These are all things that I miss about eating in Florida.

We also spent like a quarter of our time in the water - either at New Smyrna Beach or in my parents pool. The beach was so peaceful - no tourists, just a few locals. I'm a local - having partaken in it for the better part of 25 years of my life. The water was freakishly cold considering we were in Florida at the end of July. And the ocean was freakishly clear - we saw several schools of fish, and a crab. How funny that we just watched the original Jaws a couple of nights before going to the beach....

But now we are back home in North Carolina. As the song says, Back To Life, Back To Reality. The work that I left behind on Thursday and Friday was still there waiting for me. I am now almost caught up, more or less. Yet, you see, I would trade it all over again to spend time with my family. To eat all of the foods that I miss here (I forgot to mention Sweet Tomatoes and Krystals - yummie!). To spend time relaxing in the fresh and salt water. It was well worth it.